Schurr’s Late Goal Helps Mercer Tie UAB, 2-2

Sunday, September 5

Birmingham, Ala.

3:30 PM (ET)

Mercer University

2-2-1, 0-0-0

UAB

1-4-1, 0-0-0

Mercer

UAB

Photo by: Mitch Robinson

Schurr’s Late Goal Helps Mercer Tie UAB, 2-2

9/5/2021 7:03:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Box Score

Schurr scored with 85 seconds remaining in regulation.

By: Kraig Doremus

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Mercer Bears trailed the UAB Blazers with less than 90 seconds to play, but Lana Whitfield connected with Payton Schurr, and Schurr netted the equalizer, allowing Mercer to force overtime and eventually earn a 2-2 draw with the Blazers.

"I am proud of our effort," said head coach Tony Economopoulos. "We were behind twice but displayed resiliency, coming back each time. We have really played well the past three matches. We fought hard for 110 minutes and will focus on Kennesaw State and Georgia Southern next week. These rivalry games against in-state opponents are always tough. We recruit the same players, and the coaches and players know each other. There's just more on the line in a rivalry match. It's a great chance to showcase Mercer against bigger in-state public schools and hopefully come away with a positive result."

Mercer (2-2-1) had ample chances to score but had to wait until the second half to get on the board. The Bears took four shots in the first 13 minutes, but UAB's Eve Beyer made saved first shot on target, which came from Whitfield.

UAB (1-4-1) proceeded to send a pair of attempts directly at Jordyn Ebert, and Ebert gathered up the shots to keep the match scoreless. The Blazers, however, took the lead just five minutes before the half-hour mark when Asha Zuniga got the ball past Ebert for the first goal of the afternoon.

Down a goal, the Bears made four substitutions late in the first half but could not manage to equalize after the first 45 minutes. 8:03 into the second half, Whitfield nearly scored her second collegiate goal, but her shot was high of the net. Cami Brown tied the contest in the 57^th minute when she scorched a ball past Beyer after Aliah Kitchens found her just off center in the box near the penalty spot.

The match did not remain knotted at one for long, however, as UAB took advantage of a deflection to retake the lead in the 59^th minute. Ebert swatted away a shot by Lexxe Lipsey, but the deflection landed in front of Stella Kiss who tapped the ball into the net with Ebert still regaining her footing from the diving stop.

The Blazers almost added an insurance goal in the 66^th minute, but Ebert impressed the fans in attendance and the broadcast crew with an unbelievable sliding save, taking away a scoring chance and one-on-one opportunity for Blazers, which would be a difference-maker later in the match. With the momentum of Ebert's impressive stop on its side, Mercer began to threaten with Whitfield and Ally Fordham both generating chances in the 72^nd minute.

While Whitfield and Fordham's attempts were unsuccessful, the Orange & Black continued to fight. Following a Mercer free kick in UAB territory, Whitfield controlled the ball near the corner flag and dribbled along the goal line. She narrowly got the ball to Schurr in the center of the box, and Schurr, without hesitation, fired the ball into the left corner of the net, tying the contest and deflating the Blazers' confidence.

Fans inside BBVA Stadium received 20 minutes of free soccer on a beautiful Sunday afternoon in the Magic City. Relatively little action took place in the first extra period as the Bears successfully defended a UAB corner, and Kylie Buchanan's try went high of the goal. In the second and final overtime session, Kitchens took Mercer's lone shot, which was saved by Beyer. UAB had a chance to win the contest, but Laura Zemberyoa sent the ball wide left as Ebert stood poised to defend the net. Mercer held steady over the final 98 seconds and departed Birmingham with a hard-fought 2-2 draw.

NOTABLES

Brown found the net for the first time this season.
With the addition of Brown, eight Bears have now had eight players net a goal through five matches.
Whitfield added her team-leading third assist of the season, and Kitchens recorded her second helper.
Whitfield led the Bears with eight attempts.
In addition to Whitfield, Buchanan, Kitchens, Schurr and Pace Stephenson, had multiple attempts in the contest.
Mercer held a 19-15 advantage in shots.
Ebert made a season-high five saves.
The Suwanee, Ga., native has saved 79.2 percent of shots sent her way in 2021.
Ebert is 22 saves away from becoming just the second Bear to reach 400 career saves.
Economopoulos coached the team to a hard-fought draw. He recently won his 100th career match at Mercer and is the only coach in program history to reach the milestone.

UP NEXT
A pair of in-state rivals await the Bears next week. Mercer will travel up Interstate 75 to take on in-state foe Kennesaw State on Friday (7 p.m., YouTube) before returning to Betts Stadium to host Georgia Southern on Sunday (6 p.m., ESPN+) as part of a doubleheader.

FOLLOW THE BEARS
For complete coverage of Mercer Women's Soccer, please follow the Bears on social media at @MercerWSoccer (Twitter), /MercerWSoccer (Facebook) and @MercerWSoccer (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com